Caribé

On Sunday 8 April, Parramatta will come alive with the vibrant beats of Latin music and dance for one performance only of Caribé, featuring Grammy Award nominated Cuban pianist and composer, Elio Villafranca.

Taking to the stage alongside Villafranca will be an 11-piece Afro-Jazz ensemble and Adrian Medina's troupe of Australian-based Cuban dancers, Con Clave Dance. Together they will create a fascinating new exploration of Cuban rumba and son, cha cha chá and guajira music and dance styles, fused with contemporary Cuban jazz.

Villafranca is at the forefront of a new generation of remarkable Cuban musicians and composers. Classically trained in percussion and composition at the prestigious Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, he relocated to the USA where he established himself as a leading contemporary jazz and Latin jazz artist, making major creative contributions to the international development of Cuban Jazz. Since his debut album "Incantations/Encantaciones" in 2003, the Steinway artist has released two more albums and received a multitude of accolades including Jazz Corner's Pianist of the Year (2008), BMI Jazz Guaranty Award (2008), a Grammy Awards nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album (2010), and the 2014 JALC Millennium Swing Award. A spell-binding concert celebrating tone, tempo and colour, Caribé will transport audiences to Latin America - get ready to cha cha chá and rumba!